Economic Stimulus & Recovery
Special Report, Number 6
March 11, 2009
Forward Together
: An Action Agenda for America's Economic Recovery
Historically
our
nation’s
greatest
asset
has
been
its
people.
From
before
the
Revolutionary
War
through
today,
the
American
people
have
gathered
through
nonprofit
groups
to
solve
common
problems.
Americans
came
together
through
abolitionist
societies
to
defeat
slavery,
suffrage
associations
to
secure
the
right
to
vote
for
women,
and
civil
rights
groups
to
obtain
equal
rights.
The
nonprofit
sector
–
along
with
the
business
and
government
sectors
–
is
a
required
third
leg
of
the
stool
on
which
American
communities
depend.
Yet
in
recent
years,
the
nonprofit
sector
has
been
ignored,
overlooked,
and
taken
for
granted.
This
unhealthy
disregard
of
the
nonprofit
sector’s
overall
value
and
its
specific
abilities
to
help
our
nation
in
this
time
of
great
need
prompted
some
concerned
Americans
to
craft
a
special
declaration.
Unlike
the
Declaration
of
Independence
that
proclaimed
the
need
for
dividing,
this
Declaration
emphasizes
interdependence
and
our
need
for
uniting.
Styled
as
an
action
document,
the
Declaration
offers
concrete
ways
nonprofits
can
help
America’s
economic
recovery
and
calls
for
a
reinvigorated
partnership
between
the
government
and
nonprofit
sectors
to
address
our
country’s
economic
challenges
and
improve
the
quality
of
community
life.
The
Declaration
also
serves
as
an
awakening
document,
encouraging
individuals
in
nonprofits
to
declare
to
ourselves,
the
general
public,
and
our
natural
partners
in
local,
state,
and
federal
governments
that
the
nonprofit
sector
adds
value,
contributes
enormously,
and
won’t
be
ignored
anymore.
This
document
presents
a
significant
opportunity
for
our
sector
to
step
forward
collectively
to
reclaim
our
proper
space.
Nonprofit
leaders
from
Hawaii
to
Maine
are
among
the
initial
local,
state,
and
national
nonprofit
leaders
who
already
have
signed
this
Declaration
that
calls
for
ensuring
that
the
nonprofit
sector
is
no
longer
overlooked
as
a
crucial
partner
in
solving
the
country’s
deepening
problems.
Please
join
us.
Sign the Declaration Today
1.
Learn
.
Read
the
Declaration,
which
is
attached
to
this
Special
Report.
2.
Sign
.
To
sign
your
name
to
the
Declaration,
go
to
the
website
created
by
the
Johns
Hopkins
Listening
Post
Project
(which
organized
the
retreat
where
the
Declaration
was
conceived)
By
signing,
you
add
your
name
to
this
list
as
an
individual;
organizational
names
are
listed
for
identification
purposes
only.
3.
Spread the word
.
Please
encourage
others
–
your
friends,
office
colleagues,
board
members,
volunteers,
and
others
who
care
about
the
nonprofit
sector
–
to
sign
as
well,
by
spreading
news
about
the
Declaration.
4.
Join the dialogue.
© 2009 National Council of Nonprofits 202.962.0322 www.councilofnonprofits.org
1
Forward Together
Empowering America’s Citizen Sector for the Change We Need
A
Call
to
Action.
As
concerned
leaders
in
the
nonprofit,
or
citizen,
sector,
we
have
come
together
in
this
time
of
national
crisis
to
renew
our
commitment
to
serve
as
partners
in
public
service
in
addressing
the
challenges
our
nation
faces.
We
invite
our
colleagues
in
the
nonprofit
sector,
in
organized
philanthropy,
in
government,
in
the
business
world,
and
in
academia,
to
join
us
in
this
effort
so
that
together
we
can
use
the
present
crisis
as
an
occasion
to
rededicate
our
nation
to
the
principles
of
joint
responsibility
and
concerted
action
that
have
long
been
the
source
of
our
strength.
Why
Now?
We
issue
this
call
now
because
of
the
magnitude
of
the
problems
that
confront
us,
but
also
because
of
the
opportunity
the
present
moment
offers
to
address
them.
The
problems
extend
beyond
a
collapsing
economy
to
include
persistent
poverty,
disappearing
jobs,
strained
families,
failing
schools,
continuing
environmental
degradation,
under
‐
performing
and
overly
costly
health
care,
collapsing
infrastructure,
and
many
more.
Citizen
Sector
Capabilities.
Serious
though
these
problems
are,
however,
we
also
feel
confident
about
our
nation’s
ability
to
solve
them
if
we
act
together.
This
confidence
arises
in
important
part
from
our
knowledge
of
the
strength,
commitment,
and
resilience
of
our
nation’s
“citizen
sector,”
our
private,
nonprofit
organizations.
From
earliest
time,
these
institutions
have
functioned
as
agents
of
change,
incubators
of
innovation,
and
crucibles
for
some
of
our
boldest
experiments
and
highest
ideals.
Today
as
well
they
function
as
partners
in
public
service
sheltering
the
homeless,
training
the
unemployed,
educating
our
youth,
building
affordable
housing,
counseling
families,
delivering
health
care,
giving
voice
to
the
powerless,
enriching
our
lives
with
arts
and
culture,
and
serving
uniquely
as
vehicles
for
citizen
initiative
in
support
of
the
common
good.
In
the
process,
they
contribute
powerfully
to
our
economy,
employing
11
million
paid
workers
‐‐
more
than
the
construction
industry
(7.2
million),
finance
(5.2
million),
transportation
(5.1
million),
real
estate
(2.1
million),
and,
with
volunteers,
more
than
all
branches
of
manufacturing
(14.4
million).
The
Need.
But
America’s
citizen
sector
can
no
more
solve
the
country’s
problems
on
its
own
than
can
government
or
business.
Realizing
this,
our
country
has
forged
elaborate
partnerships
between
government
and
the
citizen
sector
in
almost
every
policy
sphere.
But
these
partnerships
were
cobbled
together
in
ad
hoc
fashion
and
are
far
from
achieving
their
potential.
What
is
more,
our
nonprofit
organizations
face
a
variety
of
other
fiscal
and
operational
strains.
In
this
time
of
testing
for
our
nation,
when
America
needs
its
citizen
sector
more
urgently
than
ever,
we
believe
it
is
time
to
renew
and
reinforce
America’s
compact
with
this
crucial
set
of
institutions.
This
renewal
process
will
involve
work
for
all
of
us:
For
citizens
,
it
will
require
greater
commitment
to
service
and
community,
to
giving
and
volunteering;
For
government
at
all
levels
,
it
will
require
flexibility
and
new
approaches,
investment
in
nonprofit
capacity,
a
nonprofit
seat
at
the
policy
table,
heightened
responsiveness
to
citizen
‐
sector
innovations,
and
greater
protection
of
the
distinctive
functions
such
as
advocacy
that
make
the
citizen
sector
so
vital;
For
business
,
it
will
require
strengthened
partnerships
with
citizen
sector
organizations
and
continued
integration
of
socially
responsible
objectives
into
central
business
operations;
For
organized
philanthropy
,
it
will
require
greater
commitment
to
leveraging,
as
opposed
to
preserving,
assets,
to
fostering
innovation,
and
to
taking
risks;
2
For
nonprofit
leaders
and
organizations,
it
will
require
effective
management,
continuous
innovation,
recommitment
to
mission,
broadened
engagement
of
citizens,
and
attention
to
measurable
results;
and
For
everyone
,
it
will
require
a
recognition
that
no
one
set
of
institutions
has
all
of
the
answers
or
all
of
the
resources
needed
to
address
the
problems
we
face,
and
that
cooperative
action
by
all
of
our
institutions—government,
business,
and
nonprofit—holds
the
real
key
to
the
progress
we
need.
Time
to
Act
.
The
time
for
action
is
now
and
we
call
on
our
fellow
citizens,
and
our
partners
in
public
service,
to
respond.
The
Action
Agenda
that
follows
identifies
some
of
the
concrete
steps
we
feel
are
needed.
Forward Together
:
The
Action
Agenda
To
improve
our
nation’s
ability
to
address
the
serious
challenges
our
country
faces,
America
needs
to
take
fuller
advantage
of
the
important
asset
represented
by
its
“citizen
sector,”
our
country’s
vast
network
of
private,
nonprofit
organizations.
Two
sets
of
actions
in
particular
are
especially
needed:
first,
a
set
of
immediate
actions
designed
to
equip
the
citizen
sector
to
engage
fully
in
America’s
economic
recovery;
and
second,
a
broader
set
of
actions
designed
to
enable
the
citizen
sector
to
function
more
effectively
as
a
partner
in
public
service
in
addressing
our
country’s
enduring
problems.
I.
The
Immediate
Agenda
Equip
the
Citizen
Sector
to
Engage
Fully
in
America’s
Economic
Recovery
America’s
nonprofit
organizations
have
a
crucial
role
to
play
in
the
immediate
effort
to
help
with
our
nation’s
economic
recovery.
In
fact,
as
the
Katrina
recovery
has
shown,
the
road
to
recovery
will
ultimately
pass
directly
through
them.
To
help
them
with
this
task,
steps
such
as
these
should
be
considered
:
1)
Take
advantage
of
existing
mechanisms
(such
as
the
Emergency
Food
and
Shelter
Program)
to
channel
significantly
expanded
assistance
to
families
in
need
through
the
existing
network
of
nonprofit
organizations
offering
food,
clothing,
and
housing.
To
encourage
citizen
involvement
in
dealing
with
this
crisis,
any
matching
requirement
attached
to
any
of
the
existing
mechanisms
used
to
convey
these
funds
could
be
met
by
mobilizing
volunteers
as
well
as
money.
2)
Enlist
America’s
sizable
network
of
nonprofit
housing,
community
development
finance,
and
related
organizations
to
help
solve
the
mortgage
crisis
by
re
‐
working
problem
loans.
These
organizations
already
manage
billions
of
dollars
of
mortgage
loans
in
low
‐
income
areas
with
delinquency
rates
far
below
those
in
the
general
sub
‐
prime
market.
3)
Make
“build
‐
ready”
nonprofit
facilities
for
youth,
the
homeless,
the
aged,
and
community
betterment
through
arts
and
education
eligible
for
stimulus
infrastructure
investments.
This
would
not
only
create
jobs
but
produce
needed
community
assets
that
could
be
used
productively
for
decades.
4)
Rally
giving
and
volunteering
for
recovery
assistance.
Tax
and
other
changes
over
the
past
eight
years
have
steadily
undermined
the
incentives
to
give
and
volunteer.
To
help
mobilize
private
resources
for
recovery
assistance,
steps
such
as
these
should
be
considered:
expand
support
for
AmeriCorps
and
related
service
programs,
allow
non
‐
itemizers
to
deduct
their
charitable
contributions,
incentivize
foundations
to
exceed
their
required
5
percent
payout
rate
to
support
recovery
relief;
and
further
extend
provisions
to
allow
retirees
to
make
tax
‐
exempt
IRA
withdrawals
for
charitable
contributions.
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Forward Together: An Action Agenda for America's Economic Recovery
Please read and then join the growing number of leaders from across America who are signing their names to this special declaration for Americans to “come together in this time of national crisis to renew our…
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